Handle structure



Jan- 1, 1952 A. E. ALLEN HANDLE STRUCTURE 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Aug. 30,1948 4155/97" bio/144 90 44 40v attorneys damage.

.the hollow tip or bolster; such a strength and holding power PatentedJan. 1, 1952 OFFICE HANDLE STRUCTURE Albert Edward Allen, Utica, N. Y.,assignor to Utica Cutlery Company, Utica, N. Y.

Application August 30, 1948, Serial No. 46,895 8 Claims. (Cl. 30-164)This invention relates to handles for cutlery and like implements. Ithas for a primary object the provision of strong, durable, and sightlyarticles which can be utilized with comfort, ease and satisfaction andcan be readily and inexpensively manufactured. More specifically anobject of the invention is to provide in or for an article of cutleryahandle unit of such character that the strength and permanence of thehandle and of the entire article is enhanced. A further object is theprovision of a pocket. knife construction having an improved appearance,strength, and permanence. Another object is the provision of anarrangement for holding knife parts in place with particulareffectiveness. Other objects are to reduce the manufacturing cost and atthe same time to improve the quality of handles for knives and likeimplements.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

Articles of cutlery such as pocket knives, hunting knives, kitchenknives, fish knives and the like are commonly provided with handleshaving bone, horn, plastic or mother of pearl, etc., in the central partbut with tips of metal to protect such handle grip material fromchipping and other In the case of foldin knives, etc., a longer metalpart, known as the bolster, is provided to give anchorage for the rivetsor pivot pins on which the blades are mounted. Both the handle grips orornamental covers and the tips or bolsters are secured to a flat metalplate (often.

called the scale) or directly to a blade which gives the handle most ofit strength. It has also been known, however, to make the plate and tipsor bolsters in one piece, e. g., by die casting tip or bolster portionsonto the plates or by stamping the ends of the plates to a form whichstands up above the central part thereof and serves in place of theordinary tip or bolster. In some cases these stamped and portions havebeen partially severed from thecentral part of the plate so thatprojections on the handle grips can be hooked into slitting of theplate, however, weaken it at the very point where its strength isrequired to withstand the stresses imposed on the rivet which securesthe blade and to transmit them to the handle. Moreover, the hollowbolster construction requires a thicker plate or the use of a strongermetal if it is to give for the rivet through the blade.

An important object of the present invention is to cure these defects ofthe hollow tip or hollow bolster construction and to permit use oflighter tion' of one plate metal plates with results more nearly equalto the best solid bolster construction.

In accordance with theinvention a plate por tion is formed by stampingas in the case of the hollow bolster construction and a slit is formedcentrally of the plate at the border between the tip or bolster and thecentral area to be occupied by the handle facing. The handle material isthen applied and molded in situ to give the desired handle form and toextend integrally through the slits and to fill the hollow tip orbolster, thus giving a solid, strong and unitary handle structure. Holesand/or projections desired for assembly in the knife or other implementcan also be provided in the molding or stamping operations withimportant economies of manufacture.

The use of molded plastic in a knife handle has of course long beenknown and it has been suggested to put hollow metal caps into the moldfor such handles to form bolsters on their ends; but such handles hadthen to be secured to metal plates in the same way as handles of horn 0rpearl or ivory or wood etc. My invention on the contrary makes the plateand the bolsters and the For a. fuller understanding of the nature andobjects of the invention, reference should be had to the followingdetailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of one form of pocket knife embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the rear side thereof along the lines 22in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front side view of one. plate of the knife of Figures 1and 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged lateral sectional view along the line 44 ofFigure 3;

Figure 5 is a top view of the knife of Figures 1-3 showing the blades inopen position and partly broken away; H I

Figure 6 is a perspective view plate of a single-bladed j acknife Figure7 is a bladed knife;

Figure 8 is a side view of another pocket knife embodying the invention,the blades being shown in open position;

Figure 9 is a view in central longitudinal sec and handle portionsofFigure 8; plan view of the back of a hunting of the front of theFigure 10 isa Figure 11 is a side view thereof.

The form of construction exemplified by Figures l8 provides a knifehaving handle portions H] which are preferably formed of a hard toughmolded plastic material, which may be a resilient cellulose acetatecomposition of a polyvinylchloride or vinylacetate, vinylchlorideco-polymer, a vinylidene chloride polymer, a polyamide plastic, e.g.,nylon or other available plastic. The blades II and I2 of the knife arepivoted, respectively, on rivets l3 and M which extend, respectively,through a pair of bolsters l5 and a pair of bolsters IS. The respectivebolsters are integral with the plates H in only a part of their width(narrow border areas i9 and in the example shown) and are severedtherefrom over a part of the width 2i or 22 so that the plastic of thehandle extends integrally into and fills the hol low bolsters i6 asshown at 24 and 25. Two such plates l1 and the spring l8 enclose a spacefor blades H and 12, as in a conventional knife. Pursuant to the presentinvention the ends 24 and 25 of the handle portions are in contact withsubstantially the entire inner surfaces of the bolsters I5 and I6 andsubstantially fill the hollow bolster giving compressive strength andrigidity to the bolsters. It is to be noted that the shanks of theblades ii and I2 when open, overlap the plates 11 beyond the boundariesof the bolsters so that the plastic is reinforced against the stressesexerted by the blade.

The bolster portions are formed with holes 26 and 2'! thru which therivets l3 and 14 extend. These holes may be punched or drilled thru themetal plates 11 in the usual way, and pins in the plastic mold may serveto mold the holes in the plastic; or the plastic can be molded solid andthe holes subsequently drilled. Each plate I! is also provided with arivet hole 28 to receive a rivet 29 by which the spring 30 is secured inplace. As shown in Figures 1-5, the middle portion of each of the plates11 is bent slightly inward along an upper longitudinal axis as shown at3| and slightly outward along a lower longitudinal axis as shown at 32so as to provide extra longitudinal stiffness and to give a funnel formbetter fitting the blades.

In a preferred procedure for the formation of the knife, thebolster-and-plate member I! is stamped from sheet brass, or other sheetmetal as desired, to the form shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the holes 26, 21,and 28 being made at the same time by a stamping die, and thelongitudinal corrugations 3| and 32 being formed at the same time. Thebolster or tip portions are drawn to shallow cups as shown and aresheared in the central area along lines 2! and 22. The plastic materialis molded over the plate 11 and thru the slits 2| and 22 into the hollowbolsters to form a construction such as shown in Fig. 2. Ordinarily theholes are filled with plastic in this operation and are rebored afterthe plastic has hardened. The plastic for the handle may be moulded inaccordance with standard practice.

,Two side assemblies so formed are then assembled with a knife spring 30and blades H and I2, and the rivets I 3, l4 and 29 secured in place inthe usual manner. In Figs. 6 and 7 a single blade pocket knife is shownhaving handles Inc, and bolsters I50. and Ilia connected respectively byportions Mia and 20a to one of a pair of plates Ila. The single blade12a is pivoted on arivet Ma; the rivet lea serving merely to assist inholding together the structure which in the present instance includes aspacer 35.

The end members may likewise be varied widely in shape and purpose. Forexample, there is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 a form of construction whereinthe end members I51) and ltb of the plates llb are in the form of tipsrather than bolsters and are not pierced by the rivets l3?) and 14b theholes 26b and 21b for which are formed in the plates ill) in the presentinstance. These rivets l3b and Mb serve as pivots for the blades Nb andl2b which are controlled by a spring 30b pivoted at 29?). The handleportions l9b each have integral portions 24b and 25b molded into andfilling the hollow tips.

The invention is likewise effective when embodied in fixed bladestructures. One such article is exemplified in Figs. 10 and 11 as ahunting knife wherein blade 40 is provided with molded plastic handleslflc. Plates l'lc extend between the handles and the blade, and theseare stamped or drawn at their ends to provide bolster portions We andIE0 thru which rivets 13c and I40 extend. As in the case of Figures 1-9,the plates Ilc are partially severed to provide open inner ends on thebolsters We and I60. A molded plastic forms the handle I00 and extendsintegrally thru said open ends into the bolsters I50 which are filledthereby and made solid. A central rivet 290 may be used to assist inholding the handle together.

The plastic may be molded by any of the usual methods, e. g. powdermolding, tablet molding, injection molding or casting. The invention inits broad aspects includes the molding of materials other than organicplastics, e. g., die casting of metals, powder metal pressing andcementing or compression adhesion of powders which are not strictlyplastics.

While there are given above several specific ex amples of this inventionand its application in practical use and also certain modifications andalternatives, it should be understood that these are not intended to beexhaustive or to be limiting of the invention. On the contrary, theseillustrations and the explanations herein are given in order to acquaintothers skilled in the art with this invention and the principles thereofand a suitable manner of its application in practical use, so thatothers skilled in the art may be enabled to modify the invention and toadapt it and apply it in numerous forms, each as may be best suited tothe requirement of a particular use.

What is claimed is:

l. A handle structure comprising a plate at least one end of which ispartially severed from an adjacent portion thereof and is dished abovesaid adjacent portion to provide a hollow raised end open from itshollow to the front of said adjacent portion, and a grip memberaccurately fitting against and supporting the inner surface of saidhollow end, overlying the front of said adjacent portion and extendingintegrally thru and fitting the opening into said hollow end.

2. A handle structure comprising a plate at least one end of which ispartially severed from an adjacent portion thereof and is dished abovesaid adjacent portion to provide a hollow raised end open from itshollow to the front of said adjacent portion, and a grip member fittingsaid hollow end portion to the level of the back of said adjacentportion, overlying the front of said adjacent portion and extendingintegrally thru and fitting the opening into said hollow end.

3. A handle structure for a knife as defined in claim 2 in which thehollow end and its filling serve as a bolster extending a substantialdistance on each side of a rivet location whereby said handle is rivetedto an implement.

4. A handle structure for a knife as defined in claim 2 in which thegrip member where it overlies said adjacent portion of the plate issubstantially flush with the exterior of the hollow end portion thereof.

5. A handle structure as defined in claim 2 wherein edge portions ofsubstantial width extend integrally and unsevered around the handle insubstantially the same plane.

6. An article of cutlery comprising a plate, one end of which that has agreater extent transversely of the plate than longitudinally thereofbeing transversely centrally separated from the body of the plate andofiset laterally beyond the line of separation to provide an integraltip, and a handle overlying said body and extending into andsubstantially filling said tip.

7. An article of cutlery comprising a plate the end portions of WhlChare transversely separated centrally from an adjacent portion of theplate and offset above the adjacent portion at the line of separation,to provide hollow ends which are open toward said adjacent portion, anda handle grip overlying said body and extending into said hollows andbeing in engagement with at least the major part of the inner surface ofsaid hollow ends.

ALBERT EDWARD ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,843,584 Tillmanns et al Feb. 2,1932 2,195,846 Balder Apr. 2, 1940 2,303,302 Paolantonio Nov. 24, 1942

